Mr Cameron responded to those who doubted if the plan for economic recovery was working. He admitted the damage was worse than thought and was taking longer than hoped:

The world economy - especially in the Eurozone - has been much weaker than expected in the past two years. When some of our big trading partners like Ireland, Spain and Italy are suffering, they buy less from us. That hurts our growth and makes it harder to pay off our debts. But here is the crucial thing you need to know. Yes it's worse than we thought, yes its taking longer, but we are making progress.

– David Cameron

David Cameron on the final day of his party's conference Credit: Press Association

At times the message was deeply personal. He revealed how the example of his disabled father taught him about success, with: "Hard work. Strong families. Taking responsibility. Serving others." He added:

Let us here in this hall, here in this government, together in this country make this pledge - let's build an aspiration nation. Let's get Britain on the rise. Deficit, paid down. Tough decisions, taken. Growth, fired up. Aspiration, backed all the way. We know what it takes to win, to win in the tough world of today, to win for all our people, to win for Britain. So let's get out there and do it.